Believe In Fate
by redsockrepublic
Summary: Hiccup is banished from Berk. 2 years later, the dragon raids "mysteriously" stop. Coincidence? But just because The dragons aren't stealing, that doesn't mean they aren't annoying. The vikings are forced to bring back the traitor, but he's way different fro what everyone remembers. But is that bad? Featuring Hiccup with a backbone! First story, so be nice. T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: First story! Yay! This obnoxious little plot bunny has been trying to escape for, like, forever. Reading other stories like this has only strengthened it. Please review, flames welcome and appreciated. ;)**

Hiccup didn't do a lot of things.

He didn't kill Toothless.

He didn't tell his dad about his pet dragon.

He didn't believe Astrid when she said she was going to tell the village.

He didn't forgive Berk for banishing him.

He didn't save his leg from the Red Death.

But one thing Hiccup learned was that there was a difference between not _wanting_ to do something, and actually not being able to do it. He didn't _want_ to kill Toothless. He wasn't _able_ to save his leg. But he still had questions about why both of those didn't happen. Some might say fate, but Hiccup didn't believe in fate. He was all about logic and rationality. But then, of course, his life turned upside down, and his beliefs got thrown out the window. Now, he's all about fate. And it's taken him crazy places.

The dragon raids had stopped about 5 years ago. 2 years after Hic- uh, the traitor, was banished. But dragons still came. They didn't necessarily steal anything, but they were still obnoxious as Hel. They laid around, frightened all the herds, and scared the pants off of any drunken soul on their way home from the mead hall. This was a problem. And, as chief, Stoic the Vast, Oh Hear His Name and Tremble, Ugh Ugh, had to take care of it. He tried scaring off the beasts, but they just stared at him and went to sleep. He tried luring them away with barrels of fish, but they quickly lost interest. He eventually resorted to trying to kill them off, but all that got him was a permanent scowl and a sore bum. Of course, he had another idea, but it was a long shot, and really just a plan he didn't want to use. But it was his last one.

"Alright everyone, quiet down!"

The talking continued.

"I said quiet!" Gobber yelled again.

"SHUT! UP!"

"Thank you, Astrid." Gobber said. He gestured for the chief to take over.

"Alrigh'. Well, Ah believe ya all know 'bout our er, dragon probl'm," there were some anguished yells at this. "But, Ah have a plan!" Stoic added, albeit hesitantly. "Though most a' ya prob'ly won' like it," He paused. "We 'afta bring Hiccup back" There were cries of outrage. Yells of "Traitor!" and "Loki's son!" and other insults to horrid to mention echoed throughout the great hall.

"Enough!" Stoic boomed, his voice over powering all the others. "This is tha only choice we 'ave left! Now, we'll need a volunteer ta fetch 'im."

"I will!" Came a feminine voice. The crowd parted to reveal Astrid Hofferson, a fine warrior. Her eyes were shining with cold determination. She was sure she could get the traitor back to Berk for her chief, even if she had to drag him. Stoic thought for a moment, then nodded with approval.

"Alrigh'. You will be provided wi' a boat an' supplies. You'll leave tomarra'." The blond warrior nodded. "Do ya wish ta have accompaniment?"

"No."

"So be it."

**How was it? Sorry it's kinda boring, next chapter we'll see Hiccup! Woo Hoo! Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Ok. I haven't written for a couple days because I literally died of excitement. I'm writing this from Valhalla. Okay, maybe not, but still. 17 reviews?! I wasn't expecting even, like, 2 for the entire story!  
To Doomsday BeamXD: 1) love your username! 2) I actually do know what flames are, I was just trying to be sarcastically optimistic, if that even exists... But thanks anyway! And yay! Some one likes my writing! Life complete! And no review is EVER too long. XD  
To Storspeaker: Thanks for the advice. I tried to make line breaks, but my computer is an arse to me and won't let me do things. :(  
To EmmerzK: Wait, someone respects me? That's a first. And I try to have a good pace, but I just get so excited about the next part, and I just wanna go, and then I regret it, and I'll just shut up now. XD Thanks!  
And thanks to all my other lovely reviewers! Digital cupcakes for all of you!

:; This is Toothless talking ;:

*Hiccup's PV*

It was a cold autumn afternoon, chilly, but not the type of cold that bites through your bones, leaving you chilled to the core. But Toothless didn't care. He was still cold.

"For Thor's sake will you just SHUT UP?!"

:; But I'm cold! ;:

"You're a dragon! Just... Breathe fire on yourself or something!" Hiccup moaned exasperatedly. Toothless gave him a look. If dragons can even give people looks. Hel, a few years ago Hiccup didn't even no dragons could think, who's to say they can't give people annoyed, yet, somehow whiny glares?

Toothless huffed and laid down, closer to the large fire Hiccup had built a few minutes earlier. That was basically the extent of their camp. The unspoken rule was that anything you couldn't fit into a small basket was either sold or used for scraps. Besides, Hiccup, and Toothless, as a matter of fact, preferred sleeping under the stars, next to each other, rather than cooped up in some stuffy old tent. It made for an easier escape, too. Speaking of which...

:; Did you hear that?;: Toothless' ear plates popped up, making him look surprisingly like a rabbit. Hiccup would've chuckled, if not for his dragon's serious tone. He slowly stood, cautiously reaching behind his back for his bow, then loading it with an arrow. His emerald eyes scanned the forest for any suspicious activity, Toothless doing the same.

:; There! ;:

Hiccup's head whirled around just in time to catch sight of a few branches shaking, as if...

"Someone's watching us..." he murmured. "Show yourself!" Hiccup's eyes narrowed at the traitorous foliage, and Toothless let out a low growl.

A pause.

The bushes grudgingly parted to reveal a person, like Hiccup suspected. He took a moment to give himself a mental pat on the back for not freaking out over some forest animal. His blasted dragon still hadn't gotten over the last time. Stupid reptiles. After his brief psychological praise, the not-Viking studied the intruder.

Blond hair.

Viking-ly build.

Sparse metal armor.

Certain, er, womanly parts that went to waste on a Viking.

And stormy blue eyes that seemed so familiar, yet so foreign, and-

A flash of memories.

A battle axe.

A burst of flame, along with a flow of emotion that Hiccup hadn't felt for any Viking in a long while.

"You are so dead."

Oh.

"Astrid." It was a statement, not a surprised assumption. Though the look on the wanna-be Valkyrie's face said that she wouldn't be reacting the same.  
"Hi... Hiccup?"

*Astrid's POV*

Astrid had sailed around, looking for any sign of the traitor, and yes, she still refused to say his name. Her search seemed hopeless after a chorus of no's from all the nearby tribes, and she was considering going back empty handed, until she finally got a lead when she arrived in the farthest tribe from Berk, Tokal.

She was speaking to an elderly woman, the head healer of the small tribe when she got her answer. The two women were sitting in the elder's small, cozy cottage. It was a comforting wooden thing, that was brightly lit by many candles, and smelled pleasantly of roasting herbs. Elaborate tribal tapestries were hung on the walls, telling tales of heroes a hundred years past.

At first, it seemed like all the other attempts.

"No, I don't believe I have seen this 'Hiccup Horrendous Haddock'."

Okay, maybe she did say his name. But not nicely. Nonetheless, her searched appeared to remain fruitless.

"Very well," she sighed. "Thank you anyway. I will be on my way now." Astros stood to leave, but just before she passed through the door to the elder's cottage, the woman piped up,

"You couldn't mean the Dragon Ryder, though, could you?"

Astrid spun to face the woman.

"Dragon Ryder?"

"Yes. He is a young man, rumored to ride atop a dragon black as night, and fast as lightning. He stopped by a few days ago, asking permission to stay in the woods over there," she gestured out the window to a forest nearby. "I offered him a room, of course, but he politely refused. That was the one thing confusing about him, he had the rugged look of a troubled warrior, yet he was so polite..." the elder trailed off, her eyes glazing over slightly.

Astrid grinned. "Actually, I think that might be just who I'm looking for. Thank you!" She ran out the door and over to the nearby woods, mentally steeling herself for what she might see. Though that method proved useless when she actually came face to face with... Him. It wasn't that she was intimidated, it was just... He changed. So much.

His auburn hair was windswept with a few small braids here and there. His pale face was still dotted with freckles, though his jaw and cheek bones were now more prominent, giving him an extremely mature look that was suddenly interrupted by a long scar that cut down his face from the corner of his left eye to his chin. Contradictory to his previously fishbone-like state, this new Dragon-Boy was covered with a slender layer of toned muscle that spoke of years of hard work. He was dressed from his shoulders to his toes in black leather, matching the color of his- dear Odin almighty he has a dragon. A bad-ass looking, and likely extremely pissed dragon. And wait, what? One leg? What happened there? The last thing she noticed, though it might as well of been the first, was his eyes. They were no longer definable by the simple word, "green". No, these were a constantly shifting canvas of emeralds and jades and forest greens, that spoke of betrayal, pain, and loss, yet somehow still miraculously seemed to still sparkle with curiosity and hope. And that's what caused her to stammer. Though, in hindsight, she really should've been more concerned about the dragon. Because being stuck underneath one was definitely not fun.

AN: Done for now. You like? Next chapter, be warned, the will be extreme amounts of sarcasm! Plan accordingly. XD PLEASE REVIEW!


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Hey, it's me again! Eeeek! More reviews! I swear, I'm going to like, Spontaneously combust or something.

To Doomsday BeamXD: Ermagerd. I just realized who you are! I _love _your stories! And you review mine! Eek!

To Ferdoos: Where can I buy one of those, Because I want one. Badly.

To Guest: Uh, what? I can't tell if you're being serious, but thank you for the troll! In case you haven't noticed, I don't care what you think. You're outnumbered 35 to 1. Have a nice day, sir/ma'am!

Also, I re-posted Chapter 2 because I missed a couple things in Hiccup's description. If you're to lazy to go look, then he has a long scar on his face, and he's missing his leg, like at the end of the movie. I know those are pretty big things to miss, but I wrote that at like, 11 pm, sooo...

*Hiccup's POV*

Well this is an interesting development. I watched Toothless tackle Astrid to the ground, letting the thought of _Astrid_ of all people being here sink in for a moment before I was interrupted by:

:; You mean Astrid as in the viking who betrayed you? ;:

I rolled my eyes. "No, Astrid as in the giant bull-woman. Now get off her, I'd rather not interrogate people while they're in pancake form." Toothless reluctantly rolled off Astrid, and with a grunt she rolled to her feet. She looked up at me, peeking through the bangs that draped over her right eye.

"What happened to you?" Well, points for bluntness.

"Uh, I got banished...?"

"Well duh, but why are you like... that?" She asked gesturing vaguely to my whole body.

"You just gestured to all of me."

"Exactly, how did you get to be all of... you?" Woah, dejavu.

"Again, I got banished. And, uh, shouldn't I be the one questioning you? I mean, you're the one who was stalking me." I commented drily. That made her seem to realize something. Her posture straightened, and her eyes gained a trained indifferent look. A shame, really, her eyes always were so good at showing her emotions. Especially anger. I remember anger well.

"I been sent to invite you back to Berk," she stated formally.

"And I'm assuming that by invite you mean drag back bodily in the oh-so-charming way you vikings do?" Really, she needed to stop beating around the bush. I noticed Toothless shift at that. Honestly, he need to stop worrying about me, I'm not 14 anymore. Astrid paused, obviously thrown off for a moment, before continuing,

"If that's what I must do for the good of my people."

I clapped sarcastically. "I commend you on your ability to come back from a blatant accusation. Not many people have that talent. and, uh, if I may ask, why exactly do you need me for "the good of your tribe?" Odin, this is probably the most fun I've had in days. The expressions on her face are priceless, and oh! Now she's blushing! The great Astrid Hofferson is blushing because of the mess-up, the traitor, Hiccup the Useless! Ha!

"I-it's the dragons, they-"

"What are they doing?" I interrupted. Now she had my interest, and I could see that she knew that. Honestly, I can't believe she thinks herself sneaky, she wears her heart on her sleeve.

"They won't leave us alone! They just... lay around and... be obnoxious!" she exclaimed. I blinked at her.

"No, really. What are they doing?"

"That's it. That's what they're doing." Okay, so she's serious. Maybe... maybe it is a problem. No, don't laugh, don't laugh,

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Curse you, sense of humor!

"What's so funny?" Astrid scowled.

"Y-you're _serious_?" I gasped between chuckles. "You called _me _the traitor, the dragon lover, Loki's son, because the dragons are _laying_ _around? _They're not even stealing any food? The almighty Vikings, freaking Stoick the Vast, chief of the Hairy Scary Hooligans couldn't stop the dragons from lounging around Berk?!" She flushed, (finally) realizing how stupid the request was.

"I-,w-we, they... Oh, will you just get them out of our home?" She shouted. I thought for a moment, looking over at Toothless.

:;We don't have anything better to do.;:

"True that. Alright, I'll help. But you owe me."

"Fine. Come on, my boats this way." She started to walk to the edge of the clearing. I started to follow her, but wait... I have a dragon... Astrid's never ridden on a dragon... this could be fun.

*Astrid's POV*

Well, thank Odin that's over with. Since when is he so frustrating? Wait, I don't hear his uneven gait anymore. I turned around and saw him standing there with a mischievous grin.

"What- AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Holy Hel, where did the ground go?! I-I'm flying, I'm flying on a dragon, no, _underneath_ a dragon! I heard a woop of joy from above (Or is it below?) me. Who the Hel could be enjoying thiIIISSS! Oh gods, I'm FALLING! I'M FAL- wait, no I'm not. I'm on something solid, oh thank Thor, I'm on something solid.

"You okay there?" A smooth tenor voice asked. I peeled my eyes open slowly, afraid of what I might see. I finally saw Hiccup looking back at me, a smug grin on his face. I then realized I was clinging onto him for dear life. I quickly let go, not wanting to show him any weakness. He laughed, his face lighting up with mirth.

"I'll take that as a yes. Hey, take a look around. This might be the last time you see something like this." Huh? I looked around and- Odin's beard... This is amazing. Whipped cream clouds float across a sea of blue, _so close... _I stick my hand out experimentally, and it just glides right through. Strange... from the ground they seem like solid, impenetrable beings of pure white glory, but they're so soft...

"Amazing, right?" His voice is soft, and when I look at him I see his face has softened, melting into a child-like wonder. His dragon, Toothless, was it? grumbled and looked back at us.

"Shut up." Hiccup growled. I was about to protest, because I hadn't said anything, but then his dragon warbled again, and he laughed.

"Wait, you can talk to him?" That's impossible!

"Well, anyone can talk to a dragon. I just understand what he says back," he drawled, shooting me a grin. I glared at him. Idiot.

"How much longer until we get there?" I wanted to get off this flying, scaly death trap as soon as possible.

"I dunno, and hour? 45 minutes if we take a shortcut." I humphed, that was too long. We lapsed into silence for about 15 minutes before he spoke up.

"So... what's it like in Berk nowadays? Is it the same?" I blinked in surprise. His smug, confident tone was gone, replaced with open curiosity.

"Well, uh, it's sort of the same, I guess. Everyone's older, obviously... Snotlout's training to be cheif," he snorted at this. "Yeah, it's not really going well, he's more "punch now, think later" than a diplomat."

"Shouldn't he be a good fit then?" he smirked. I laughed softly.

"Yeah, I guess so. Uh, Fishlegs is the town healer now, he's apprenticing Gothi."

"He was always more of a lover than a fighter, wasn't he?" He smiled wistfully, his eyes somewhere far away, lost in the last wisps of a memory. I matched his fond smile.

"Yeah, he was. He definitely has the muscle mass for a warrior, though. Ruff and Tuff works at the docks, they fish together."

"Huh, would've thought they'd go for a more violent profession. How's Gobber?"

"Well, they do get to kill things on a daily basis. And Gobber's okay, he hasn't lost any more limbs, thankfully. He's pretty excited about you coming back, too."

"Really?" He seemed surprised.

"Of course. You were always his favorite out of all us kids. Your dad's doing pretty good, too. The dragon issue is giving him a few gray hairs, though." His expression closed off at the mention of his father. He was silent for a good ten minutes, his eyes trained on the sky in front of him.

"What about you?"

"Huh?" It took me a moment to remember what we were talking about. "Oh, uh, well, I'm trying to follow in my mother's footsteps to become a seamstress, but my parents are trying to marry me off." God, I hated talking about that.

"May I ask to who?"

"Snotlout." I replied with a shudder.

"Ah, if you marry the chief, then your family gets money, and the tribe gets an heir." He observed. I shuddered at the thought of doing... _things _with Snotlout. Just... ew. Hiccup sighed.

"Life sucks, I know. Personally, I'm on your side. You getting married? That's destined for disaster. Your too wild, too free. Not that I'm complaining, I honestly hate complacent women who have become shadows of what they once were because of marriage." I stared at him, how did he get so wise?

"Berk's coming up." I directed him. He followed my gaze and sighed. We leaned into a deep decent, and just before we landed, I heard him whisper,

_"Welcome home..."_


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: AUUUUUGH! I feel like such an arse! I haven't updated in FOREVER! I suck! Oh well, onto the story and such.**

**V: I love how your review looks like a poem. That's all. ;)**

**Menea111: I know, right? And doesn't me being on here already prove that? XD**

**Alpha B. A. 7: Thanks! And, uh, well, the vikings are kinda, for lack of a better word, **_**scared**_** to attack the dragons. They're kind of like a ticking time bomb. They're afraid that if they attack them, they'll start the raids again. I hope that clears that up.**

**Oh, and one more thing, I was thinking of doing a Rise of the Guardians and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children crossover. I was looking for it, but it doesn't exist! How?! If you think I should, or have any ideas, tell me in the reviews, or PM me! I apologize for the shortness of this chapter.**

***Hiccup's POV***

Huh. Thisplace hasn't changed a bit. Still old, brown, and ugly. Ah, memories.

"So looks like you found dragon boy, huh?" I turned to see- wait, is that Ruffnut? Holy cow, she got- uh, never mind. Stupid man horomones...

"Well, you haven't changed a bit." I commented dryily.

"Why thank you." She looked me over. "Wish I could say the same."

"Am I really that different?" I looked down at myself. I really couldn't see that much of a difference, you know, except for the whole leg thing.

"Well, considering you're missing a leg and you have a dragon with you, I'd say yes."

"Ruffnut Thornston, are you being snarky?" Since when did this happen?

"Why yes, Hiccup Horrendus Haddock III I am." She smirked.

A hand flew over my heart. "It's like I don't even know you anymore!" I gasped. Astrid cleared her throat.

"Where is everybody?" She asked. I looked around and noticed that the village square, was, in fact, completely deserted, except for a few dragons laid here and there.

"In there." She gestured towards the Great Hall. "They're having another meeting about the dragons. I got bored and left." I started walking towards the tall doors.

"Come on ladies, looks like we have a party to crash," I said.

:; Are you sure that's a good idea? ;: Toothless asked.

"Nope, but I'm gonna do it anyway."

:; Why do I even ask? ;: He moaned, but I heard a bit of amusement in his voice. I hopped up the stairs and gestured for Astrid to go ahead.

"Ladies first." She gave me an annoyed look- what did I do?- and opened the door, catching someone mid-sentence.

"Ah, Astrid! Did ya find 'im." Oh joy. My "Dad"is there.

"Obviously." I deadpanned, stepping into the hall.

"Hiccup?" Came a surprised voice. I turned to see Gobber staring at me. I looked him over.

"You look old."

"Ya look like Hel." He stated bluntly.

"Well, I'm going there anyway, I should at least look the part." He looked surprised.

"Good ta see you're optimistic as always."

"I try." I smirked, turning to the rest of the hall. "So, did you miss me?" I asked brightly. I was met with stunned blinks. "It's okay, I won't bite. I can't guarantee he won't, though." I gestured to Toothless. Everyone just seemed to notice him then, and roars of outrage filled the hall.

"Woah, hey!" Gobber shouted, trying to call everyone down. I observed the hall. People were taking out weapons and Toothless was starting to look nervous. Alright, I guess I'll put a stop to this. I stuck to fingers in my mouth and let out an ear-splitting whistle.

"Alright, listen up! You people wanted me here, now you got me. If you've changed you're mind, oh well, deal with it."

"'E's right," Stoick spoke up. I turned to glare at him. "We asked fer this, so we should be thankin' 'im for coming ta 'elp us, not belit'ling 'im." The rest of the villagers glanced at each other, and seemed to come to an agreement.

"I didn't need you're help." I growled at him.

"Son-" He started.

"Funny, last I recall I wasn't you're son." His face fell, but I continued, he needed to hear this. "Listen, if you were expecting me to come crawling to you begging for forgiveness, then you're wrong. Contrary to your belief, I actually have a shred of self-esteem left, despite how much you and everyone else might try to get rid of it." There was a stunned silence.

Gobber clapped his hands. "That fam'ly bondin' note aside, can I getcha anythin' Hiccup?" Finally, someone cares.

"A bath, a beer, and a meal would be nice." I confessed.

"Ya can take a bath in the river in the woods, and the otha' two'll be 'ere when ya get back." I grinned at him.

"Thanks! Come on Toothless." I called. He needed a bath too, the last time I took off his saddle the was a bare spot in a thick layer of dirt. I stepped out of the hall while listening to the surprise whispers of the villagers.

"What happened to his leg?"

"And his scar, what caused that?"

This was gonna be fun.

***Astrid's POV***

Well, that was... eventful, to say the least. I turned to exit the Great Hall with a sigh. Maybe throwing daggers at innocent trees will help clear my head. As I stepped into the edge of the woods, I heard,

"Astrid, wait!" Oh no. I turned to see Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Snotlout running towards me.

"What?" I moaned tiredly.

"Have you talked to Hiccup yet?" Fishlegs asked breathlessly. I turned to keep walking deeper into the woods.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, what's he like? He's all... different now."

"No kidding?" I replied. "He's not all that different, though. He's still snarky, but he has, more, well confidence, I guess."

"Wait, do you hear that?" Snotlout interrupted. We stopped walking and I faintly heard a voice. We sneaked further towards the sound until we came to a break in the trees, and we crouched behind the bushes, watching- wait, was that Hiccup and Toothless? He was taking off the last bit of the dragons saddle.

"That's the last of it, bud. Go get cleaned up." He encouraged, slapping the Night Fury's thick hide. Toothless eagerly ran into the river, bouncing to and fro in the gentle current. Hiccup began removing his own armor, leaving him in just a gray tunic and black pants. My eyes shifted towards Toothless who seemed to have a mischievous look on his face. The dragon slowly slunk towards Hiccup and carefully curled his tail around his good leg. With a sharp yank he pulled Hiccup into the water. Ruff and Tuff were able to keep silent... for about 3 seconds. Then they burst into laughter. Hiccup popped back up out of the water.

"Seriously? You couldn't have waited 3 more minutes?" He groaned. Hearing the twins laughter, he turned towards our hiding place.

"Wow, now you're watching me bathe? You really need to get that stalking problem under control." I flushed, but walked out from the bushes, the others following me.

"I don't have a stalking problem." He rolled his eyes, smirking.

"Well, as long as I'm in here, I might as well get clean." He sighed. Hiccup slipped out of his shirt, revealing his bare torso, and-

"Odin's beard!" Fishlegs cried. And he was right. Almost every inch of Hiccup's chest, arms, and back was covered with intricate black ink drawings of every type of dragon I've ever seen, and then some. And the pieces of skin that weren't marked with black were striped with fierce red scars. He looked down at himself.

"Oh, right, tattoos. This, young vikings, is the result of a bored, drunk, and adventurous me. Fun, right?" I blinked at him.

"Okay... but what are all those other dragons? I've never even heard of them before."

"They're all ones I've discovered on my journey." He explained. "You find a lot of new stuff globe-trotting. Speaking of which..." He waded out of the water and over to his packs on the shore. Sticking his hand into one, he pulled out a chunk of... chocolate?

"What is that?" Ruffnut asked.

"Bolivian chocolate." He stated. "Try it." He handed the chunk to her, and she took it, cautiously inserting it into her mouth. She chewed for a moment before her eyes rolled back in bliss.

"Oh, Thor!" She moaned.

"I know, right? It's like eating a rainbow!" He exclaimed.

"Remind me to go to Bolivia later."


	5. Chapter 5

AN: UUUUGGGGGHHH. I hate procrasta-freaking-nation. It suuuucks. But on the bright side, 76 reviews, 74 favorites, and 109 follows! Eeek! You people are too amazing for words! You totally don't deserve me!

Poketurn88: That will happen. I don't care how, I don't care when, that will happen. *serious face*

LittleSweetGirl: FUUUDGE! Why do you people always ask the hard questions? Okay, well, I like Hiccstrid because of the classic nerd-boy-gets-tough-girl-ness of it, but I don't really like how Astrid sort of loses her tough-girl image so the hero cab get the girl, you know what I mean? I also ship Ruffcup because I think Hiccup's smart-ness compliments Ruffnut's overall craziness nicely, and I really feel that it's a underrated ship. I would love to hear which pairing you and everyone else would prefer in this story to help me decide. :)

Doomsday Beam XD: SQUUEEEE! I LOVE YOU! (But not in the creepy way)

Also, I didn't expect so many people to like the tattoos, or the part about the chocolate. Those were just sorta things I thought of at 3 am (which is when I think of most of the stuff in this story) and decided to stick in here because reasons. XD Anyway, I give you chapter 5! Oh, and happy Thanksgiving!

*Hiccup's POV*

:;What are you doing?;:

"Oh, just my usual dangerous combination of crazy and stupid." I called down to Toothless. I was climbing up the side of the Dragon Fighting Arena so I could get to the top and hopefully climb across the chains that stretched over the high walls. We were investigating the town and after setting the captured dragons free (I was going to get Hel from Astrid for that later, but oh well) I decided to do more productive things since yesterday basically consisted of eating, flying to Berk, confronting my fath- uh, I mean Stoick, taking a bath, and sleeping.

:;Well, duh, but why are you being crazy and stupid?;: Toothless rolled his eyes (seriously, how?!) irritatedly.

"You know how I've been wanting to improve my balance? Well, this will improve it."

:;But what if you fall?;: "You'll catch me, right?" :;Probably. If I don't?;:

"Then I'll be even more encouraged to not fall next time." Toothless looked at me for a minute before shrugging. (HOW?!)

:;Alright, it's your neck, not mine.;:

Lovely to see his over abundant concern for my safety. I crouched at the edge if the stone wall, mentally preparing myself. Straightening up, I cautiously tested my weight on the chains. The seemed to hold okay, only cracking slightly, but that was to expected of the aged metal. I gingerly took my first step, wobbling slightly at first, but quickly finding my balance. There goes the easy part, now here's where it gets hard. I picked up one foot and slowly move forward on the chain, taking my time. I knew that if I fell, it would be because I tried to go too fast.

"Hiccup?" "WAAAAAHH!" Or because I was surprised. I started when I heard her voice, and my slight jump caused my foot to slip and I went tumbling down, down, down, until...

THUD.

"Owwww..." I groaned. As soon as I hit the ground, white hot pain shot through my entire body.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" I saw several pairs of boots rush towards me, but I couldn't really summon the focus to look up to see who it was.

"Mostly... Not really." I rasped, since when is breathing so hard? I pushed myself into a sitting position, or at least tried to. I felt a hand helping me upright and I adjusted myself with a groan. I turned to see Astrid and the other various people from her old gang looking at me with a mixture of surprise, concern, and- amusement? Really, Tuffnut. I turned to look at Toothless who was looking over at us with a bored look.

"What happened to catching me?" I growled.

:;Why, I was only encouraging you to do better next time.;: He replied, feigning innocence. If dragons could smirk, then he would. (Then again, if he can roll his eyes and even freaking shrug, then who's to say he can't smirk?)

"Snarky bastard." I grumbled.

:;Why thank you!;:

...

I repeat, snarky bastard. I stood, wincing as pain shot through my ribs. I probably cracked, if not broke, one or two.

"Oh, come on, it can't be that bad." Snotlout sneered.

"I would gladly push you off a 10 foot stone wall so you could actually give that point evidence."

"I'd like to see you try, Fishbone."

"Ooh, real original." Snotlout's face flushed bright red with anger.

"If you think you can just waltz in here acting all tough and just take over my village, then you better get your facts straight. This is my village, and I intended to get you out of it as soon as I can." Alright, now I'm pissed. Time to give another douche a piece of my mind.

"First off, I don't want your village, in case you haven't noticed, I hate it here. Secondly, I could take you down with both hands tied behind my back." I growled. He scoffed.

"Yeah, if you got your dragon to do it for you." My vision went red. That asshole! I may have been the village weakling before, but now he needed to see what I'm really made of.

"You really think you can take me on? Fine. Meet me here later, at 3. We'll settle this then." I stuck my hand out for him to shake.

"Deal." He sneered, shaking my hand. He strode away, and I wiped my hands on my pants. Ew.

"Well then. On that note, what exactly are you planning on doing for our dragon problem?" I turned towards Fishlegs, cocking my head at him curiously. "Er- well, I mean, are you going to take a angrier approach and threaten them, or..." He trailed off, looking towards me.

"I'm gonna train 'em." I shrugged. Tuffnut gaped at me.

"Wha- why? Why would you do that?" He exclaimed.

"First of all, it's the more- I guess you could call it merciful- option. I mean, what sound more humane, running around killing innocent animals, or training them? Also, there's the political/warfare side of it. Who's gonna attack a village that rides freaking dragons? Plus, enemy tribes will never expect an aerial attack." I explained. He nodded thoughtfully, then asked,

"Well, when are we gonna start?" I mulled it over, thinking of the best time.

"Tomorrow, I guess, I've got a busy day, pummeling Snotlout into the ground later and all." He nodded.

"Yeah, have fun with that. I'll be watching." Fishlegs spoke up.

"Is that anger I hear, Fishlegs? My my, you have changed." I smirked. He grunted in agreement. I clapped my hands and rubbed them together.

"Well, I better start planning on how I'm gonna humiliate him." Ruffnut smiled at me.

"We'll leave you to it then. Oh, and may I suggest using his brains against him in your dastardly plan?" She grinned. I scoffed,

"Please, it would be hard not to."

*** AN: And that's it for now! Sorry it's short, but hey! Humiliation in the next chapter! Yay! Also, who ever give the 100th review gets their very own one-shot! I Like a lot of fandoms, so you can pretty much plan on almost anything. And no, I'm totally not giving bribes for reviews. *innocent face* Pssh, what are you talking about? Until next time! P.S: Did you know that when you type "Snotlout" while on notes on an iPod touch, it autocorrects to enormity? I found that hilarious for some reason. XD

Edit:I'm stupid and mean and all those horrible things you people are thinking about me. I tried to upload fro my ipod but it didn;t work. :( Sorry! *sobs*


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